1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a stamp vending machine that operates, based on a manual selection, one or more stamp dispensing mechanisms to dispense stamps from rolls of stamps mounted on the stamp dispensing mechanisms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of U.S. patents have been granted for stamp vending machines that have more than one stamp dispensing mechanism. Illustrative patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,548,991 and 3,655,109. Each machine of these patents is constructed to dispense various combinations of stamps of various denominations from modules of the machine that include for each module a magazine containing a roll of a strip of stamps. Each module is operated to feed, for one cycle of operation, a length of a strip through an associated opening in the front panel of the machine. The length of the strip fed through the opening is dependent upon the number of stamps to be dispensed from the module. The number of stamps, as a strip, that pass through the opening, is dependent upon the coins or coin, respectively, introduced in the slot in the front panel and, in the case of the machine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,991, is dependent upon the button that is pressed to select a particular combination of stamps. When sufficient change has been fed through the slot of the machine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,991 and a button corresponding to the change is pressed, the cycle of operation of each module required for the dispensing of the particular combination of stamps is initiated.
For each module having its operation initiated, its motor will turn a feed wheel or a drive roller for a predetermined number of steps of partial rotation to feed through the associated opening a length of the strip that is subsequently cut or manually torn from the balance of the strip that remains inside the machine. At the completion of the operation of a module of the machine, the module of each patent is constructed to prevent the strip from being manually pulled through the opening to obtain more stamps than was fed through the opening in the machine during the programmed operation of the module.
The module used in the machine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,991 is an improvement over the single stamp dispensing module used in the machine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,801. In that earlier module a pulse, provided by pressing a select button, to a solenoid initiates the operation of the module to present externally of the module a number of connected stamps that this module can feed during one cycle of its operation. This operation of the solenoid by the initiating pulse raises a pawl from a counting wheel. The raised pawl closes a switch that energizes a driving motor that then turns a drive roller. At the time that the motor is energized, the closed switch energizes a solenoid to move a cutter from the opening through which the strip of stamps passes. The counting wheel is rotated by a moving strip over which it passes before passing between the drive roller and a pinch roller. The counting wheel has rows of projections that are spaced so that they mate with perforations between adjacent stamps of the strip of stamps and thereby the counting roller is turned to count, as the strip is pulled between the drive roller and the pinch roller. The counting roller has also a plurality of notches about its periphery and the pawl of a pawl assembly, when raised, is moved out of one of these notches. The construction of the pawl assembly is such that the pawl moves into the next notch during the turning of the counting wheel. When this happens, the switch opens whereby the driving motor is de-energized and the solenoid for the cutter is denergized. The cutter operates to cut the strip of stamps at the opening of the dispensing module. This cut is at a row of perforations of the strip. The opening of the switch stops the drive of the strip of stamps because it stops the rotation of the driving roller. The number of stamps that is dispensed through the opening is determined by the equal spacing between the notches of the counting wheel. To change the number of stamps dispensed by the module for a cycle of operation, it is necessary to replace the counting roller with a counting roller having different equally spaced notches. With this construction of the module of a stamp vending machine, it is not possible for a particular stamp denomination to use the machine to dispense different numbers of stamps merely by pressing different buttons.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,991 discloses a dispensing module that is basically the same as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,538,801. It has a latch arm, that is raised by the operation of a latch solenoid by a pulse, that is provided by operating a select switch. The latch arm is raised, by the operations of the latch solenoid, from the one of the equally spaced notches in the counting wheel, that has the equally spaced rows of projections. This movement of the latch arm closes a latch arm switch to start the operation of the driving motor. The counting wheel is driven by the motor. The motor is also coupled to a countdown gear. Selector solenoids are mounted on the frame of the module and engage latch triggers that control a trip cone for de-energizing a countdown switch. The selector solenoids are counting solenoids and they select the number of stamps which will be dispensed for a particular operation of the module. The operation to dispense a number of stamps is determined by which of the counting solenoids is energized. The latch solenoid maintains the latch arm out of contact with the counting roller until the countdown gear has been turned by the motor to the position that the energized counting solenoid is effective to de-energize the latch solenoid that raised the latch arm. The arm lowers to engage a notch in the counting roller and the latch switch is de-energized so that the motor stops. Then the counting wheel is locked by the lowered arm so that the strip of nondispensed stamps cannot be pulled out of the module.
The stamp vending machine of U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,991 is constructed using standardized modules and by wiring a control system so that one or more jumper plugs may be changed to vary the operation of the machine. To change the operation of the machine it is necessary to change one or more jumper plugs and/or terminal blocks to those that are specially made by the manufacturer. This can be done in the field by a serviceman. It is stated also that the leads between two terminal boards are quickly changed in the field by the serviceman.
The control circuit of U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,109 utilizes electrical patch boards for determining, based on signals from closed relay contacts, the number of stamps to be dispensed in a dispensing cycle for each of the stamp dispensing modules. To change the number of stamps of one denomination dispensed in the operation of the machine it is necessary to replace the patch board with a different patch board. The patent discloses that this function of determining the number of stamps to be dispensed from a module can be accomplished by the use of a manually-operated keyboard, a tape switch, a rotary dial switch or other manual or automatic programming means. The patent also states that the relays and other electromechanical devices disclosed in the specific construction of the control circuit can be replaced by solid state or other electronic elements. Obviously, such substitution would use solid state elements that provide the same function as the individual relays and other electromechanical devices that are used in the control circuit.